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Fossil Fuels

If Ireland Can Get Out Of Fossil Fuels, Your Town Can Too

August 16, 2018 By Celia Bottger, Otherwords.org , ,
On Thursday, July 12th, a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic proved it was on the right side of history. The Republic of Ireland passed a bill to divest its $370 million worth of investments in around 150 fossil fuel companies within five years. Should the bill pass the Irish Senate in September, which it is expected to do, Ireland will become the first country to fully divest from fossil fuels. This action marks a huge step forward. For years now, neighborhood climate activists have pressured cities, universities, and governments to divest their holdings in fossil fuel companies. The idea is to defund and denounce the industry that contributes the most to climate change, funds climate denial, and prevents climate action. With its divestment bill, Ireland will join a group of almost 900 cities, universities, and governments that have collectively divested over $6 trillion from the extractive fossil fuel economy.

Cleanwashing: How States Count Polluting Energy Sources As Renewable

August 1, 2018 Staff, Foodandwaterwatch.org , ,
Our new report finds that poor definitions of "renewable" and weak targets are undermining states' efforts to avoid climate change. Are burning tires clean energy? We don't think so. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have mandatory programs to encourage renewable electricity generation. These Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) programs set renewable electricity goals and determine which energy sources qualify as renewable. Such programs can be part of the energy policy portfolio to create powerful incentives to shift to renewable energy. Unfortunately, most RPS programs have not been robust enough to foster a rapid transition to clean, renewable energy About half the states aimed to achieve only up to 25 percent renewable power. Almost all states allowed combustion-based energy sources including wood burning and the burning of waste methane (so-called biogas) to meet RPS goals.

Fossil Fuels On Trial: Where The Major Climate Change Lawsuits Stand Today

July 21, 2018 David Hasemyer, Insideclimatenews.org , ,
A wave of legal challenges that is washing over the oil and gas industry, demanding accountability for climate change, started as a ripple after revelations that ExxonMobil had long recognized the threat fossil fuels pose to the world. Over the past few years: Two states have launched fraud investigations into Exxon over climate change. Nine cities and counties, from New York to San Francisco, have sued major fossil fuel companies, seeking compensation for climate change damages. And determined children have filed lawsuits against the federal government and various state governments, claiming the governments have an obligation to safeguard the environment. The litigation, reinforced by science, has the potential to reshape the way the world thinks about energy production and the consequences of global warming.

Ireland’s Vote To Divest From Fossil Fuels Latest In A Global Campaign For Climate

July 14, 2018 Phil McKenna, Insideclimatenews.org , , ,
Ireland is on its way to becoming the first country to fully divest all public funds from fossil fuel companies after a key vote in its parliament on Thursday. It's a major milestone in an international push by environmental organizations to shut off the flow of investor cash into coal, oil and gas companies. Over the past six years, the divestment campaign has generated public pressure on countries, cities and universities around the world to cut ties to the fossil fuel industry. Nearly 900 institutions worldwide representing more than $6 trillion in assets have so far committed to some level of divestment, according to the activist group 350.org. But the campaign also has highlighted a conflict between two different approaches to forcing changes in the name of protecting the climate: those who believe total divestment is the only option, and activist investors who believe they can more successfully persuade companies to change policies by working from the inside as shareholders with a stake and a voice.

Some Rare Good Climate News: The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Weaker Than Ever

June 23, 2018 By Bill McKibben, Theguardian.com ,
If you’re looking for good news on the climate front, don’t look to the Antarctic. Last week’s spate of studies documenting that its melt rates had tripled is precisely the kind of data that underscores the almost impossible urgency of the moment. And don’t look to Washington DC, where the unlikely survival of the EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, continues to prove the political power of the fossil fuel industry. It’s as if he’s on a reality show where the premise is to see how much petty corruption one man can get away with. But from somewhat less likely quarters, there’s been reason this month for hope – reason, at least, to think that the basic trajectory of the world away from coal and gas and oil is firmly under way. At the Vatican, the pope faced down a conference full of oil industry executives – the basic argument that fossil fuel reserves must be kept underground has apparently percolated to the top of the world’s biggest organization.

Report: G20 Countries Set To Invest Over $1.6 Trillion In ‘Fossil Gas,’ Jeopardizing Paris Climate Goals

June 20, 2018 Matt Maiorana, Priceofoil.org , ,
This report is one of two reports published simultaneously that question the ongoing push for expanding fossil gas production in G20 countries. This report, ‘Debunked: The G20 Clean Gas Myth,’ focuses on fossil gas development in the G20 and debunking the myth of fossil gas as a clean transition fuel. It is published by Oil Change International and available at: http://priceofoil.org/debunked-g20-clean-gas-myth The partner report, ‘Debunked: The Promise of Argentina’s Vaca Muerta Shale Play,’ published by Greenpeace in Argentina, focuses on the myths surrounding the development of shale gas in Argentina, particularly the Vaca Muerta shale play.

‘Carbon Bubble’ Could Spark Global Financial Crisis, Study Warns

June 8, 2018 By Fiona Harvey, Theguardian.com , , ,
Investors beware, climate change is upon us. The energy industry is transforming to a new clean energy economy. Your investments in old dirty energy may end up being lost investments, know as stranded assets. This has been discussed in recent years, but now the reality is hitting. Investors should get out of carbon fuels and investment in carbon infrastructure now or their losses could be significant. A cross-party task force in Great Britain published a recommended force that large companies, pension funds and other big investors to report their exposure to climate risks. Reuters reported: “The report said companies should examine and disclose how climate change could impact their businesses in the future, such as increased exposure to extreme weather events for insurance companies and the impact of physical disruptions to supply chains for companies in the agriculture sector.

How The Fossil Fuel Industry Creates A Fake Grassroots

June 1, 2018 By Greta Jochem, Grist.org ,
Over the past several months, scores of people showed up to public meetings in New Orleans in support of building a natural-gas power plant. It turns out that as many as 100 of them were paid to be there. The Lens, an investigative news site, recently reported that people were paid $60 to attend and $200 to speak. Entergy, the company behind the power plant, said that it hadn’t authorized the payments, but it did take some responsibility. After an internal investigation, the company said that it had contracted with a public affairs firm, the Hawthorn Group, which then subcontracted another group, Crowds on Demand, to hire the supporters. Grist called and emailed Entergy for a comment and has yet to get a response.

Are Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns Working?

May 29, 2018 C.J. Polychroniou, Truthout.org , ,
Is fossil fuels divestment an effective strategy in tackling climate change? A newly released study by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst suggests that this strategy is not sufficient on its own in affecting the global battle against climate change and that new approaches are needed. Robert Pollin, a distinguished professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, co-director of PERI and co-author of the study spoke to C.J. Polychroniou about the limits of the movement to divest from fossil fuels and the need for fresh approaches and a more holistic type of action for combatting climate change.

“Climate Change Is More Of A Problem Than We Anticipated”

May 7, 2018 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, Clearing the FOG , ,
Each new study on climate change shows that not only is the crisis here now, but changes are happening a century earlier than predicted. We speak with respected climate scientist, Dr. Michael Mann, about what we can expect in the next decades and what we need to do to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. We also cover recent movement news and upcoming actions.

Native Leaders Bring Attention To Impact Of Fossil Fuel Industry On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls

May 7, 2018 Staff, Ienearth.org , , ,
Lower Brule, SD — Yesterday, May 4th, Indigenous leaders and allies began convening at the Rosebud Sioux Nation, just miles from the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route, to call attention to the disproportionately high numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across North America. The gathering calls attention to the connection between pipeline construction and violence against Native women and girls. Construction of pipelines and other fossil fuel projects often brings an influx of male workers to rural areas near small towns and Reservations, where they live in “man camps” disconnected from the surrounding community. In North Dakota, a surge in rates of violent crime and aggravated assault have correlated with the Bakken “oil boom” and the subsequent arrival of thousands of new workers to the region.

Fossil Fuels On Trial: Where The Major Climate Change Lawsuits Stand Today

April 6, 2018 David Hasemeyer, Insideclimatenews.org , ,
A wave of legal challenges that is washing over the oil and gas industry, demanding accountability for climate change, started as a ripple after revelations that ExxonMobil had long recognized the threat fossil fuels pose to the world. Over the past few years: Two states have launched fraud investigations into Exxon over climate change. Nine cities and counties, from New York to San Francisco, have sued major fossil fuel companies, seeking compensation for climate change damages. And determined children have filed lawsuits against the federal government and various state governments, claiming the governments have an obligation to safeguard the environment. The litigation, reinforced by science, has the potential to reshape the way the world thinks about energy production and the consequences of global warming.

8 Answers To Judge’s Climate Change Questions In Cities Vs. Fossil Fuels Case

March 23, 2018 John H. Cushman Jr., Insideclimatenews.org , ,
Judicial review is about to meet peer review in a federal courtroom in San Francisco, where sparring cities and fossil fuel companies have been called to brief U.S. District Judge William Alsup this Wednesday on the basics of climate change. It's an unusual arrangement, seemingly borrowed from patent litigation, where judges commonly hear initial testimony from both sides on pertinent scientific details. That's done because the U.S. Supreme Court has directed that the meaning of a patent's words is a matter of law, to be decided by a judge—not a matter of fact to be decided by a jury. You wouldn't think the science of climate change was like that. No court finding can dictate whether man-made greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and causing damage to people, ecosystems and cities. A jury, if this case reaches one, ought to be able to comprehend overwhelming evidence that explains these realities.

How Activists Won Divestment from Fossil Fuels in New York City

March 4, 2018 Nancy Romer, Portside , ,
After five years of tireless organizing, the movement to divest NYC public worker pension funds from fossil fuels scored a win.  On January 10, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City will divest the $5 billion of its pension funds presently invested in fossil fuel stocks. It will also sue the top five fossil fuel corporations—ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips—charging that because they hid the evidence that burning fossil fuels causes climate change, they are responsible for the billions of dollars the city has spent on climate remediation.   The divestment campaign provides an excellent example of how dedicated organizing, clear demands and strategies, creative tactics, strong coalitions and good luck can come together for a win.  

FERC Commissioner Spent Most Of First Months In Office Meeting With Fossil Fuel Industry

February 19, 2018 By Itai Vardi, Desmogblog.com  ,
In his first few months at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), commissioner Rob Powelson scheduled the great majority of his meetings with fossil fuel energy companies and utilities, his work calendar shows. The calendar, obtained by DeSmog through an open records request, can be viewed below. Nominated to FERC by President Trump, Powelson began serving on the commission last August. He previously served on the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. A review of his FERC calendar shows that between September 4 and December 10 2017, Powelson had a total 76 work meetings scheduled with various stakeholders. Of those meetings, 62 (82 percent) were with fossil fuel and pipeline companies, utilities, and trade groups predominantly representing those industries.
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